1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job execution system in which a job execution apparatus such as an image forming apparatus, and a server apparatus are employed; the job execution apparatus preferably employed in this job execution system; a counter data administration method of the job execution apparatus; and a computer readable recording medium having a counter data administration program recorded therein to make a computer execute processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
According to Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-024817, there is a system disclosed as a job execution apparatus in which a job execution apparatus such as an image forming apparatus, and a server apparatus are interconnected via a network, and wherein the server apparatus stores in itself counter data that defines the range of use of the job execution apparatus, allowed for each user, and when a user logs in the job execution apparatus, the job execution apparatus obtains counter data of this user from the server apparatus.
The counter data includes data related to the allowed number of sheets, function limitation information related to allowed functions, and etc. for example. The user who logs in the job execution apparatus is allowed to use the job execution apparatus within the use range indicated by the allowed number of sheets and the function limitation information. Each job execution is reflected to the counter data, and the allowed number of sheets and etc., included in the counter data, are reduced by each job execution.
With this conventional system, the counter data reduced by job execution is required to be returned to the server apparatus, when the user logs out of the job execution apparatus after use, or if the user is forcibly logged out thereof due to timeout or etc.
Thus, in a conventional manner, counter data is returned to the server apparatus from the job execution apparatus at each logout of a user, and the counter data is obtained again from the server apparatus if the same user logs in again soon after his/her last login.
As described above, with the conventional system, counter data is required to be returned to the server apparatus from the job execution apparatus at each user logout and obtained again from the server apparatus at each user login, back and forth. Therefore, if a user logs in the job execution apparatus again soon after his/her last login, he/she is required to be kept waiting to instruct job execution until his/her counter data is obtained again, which is still unresolved and inconvenient.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.